Building Bridges
by Vathara
Summary: A meeting between two spies.


****

Building Bridges

Author's Notes: This story (and every other "Urban Legend") is set in a variant of Gryph's "Deep Water" universe, developed by Gryph and Laura Boeff. Godzilla: The Series belongs to Toho and Tristar, Airwolf belongs to Bellisario and Universal, the Real Ghostbusters to Columbia/DIC. Airwolf is AU (events and tech moved ahead about twenty years). Story set sometime after Laura Boeff's "Never Alone".

~*~*~*~*~

"I love my job," Marella Duval sighed, parking her white rental car half on the sidewalk a block away from a battered, slightly charred former ferry building. "Travel the world, meet new and interesting people, and try not to get shot by them." 

Not that H.E.A.T. was generally in the business of shooting people. But Monique Dupres was another matter entirely. 

__

Speak of the devil, Marella thought, catching a glimpse of black and purple vanishing behind a tall, empty steel tank. The SDECE agent must have been scouting the area, despite the Firm's reassurances that this would be a peaceful meet. 

__

Then again, if the French Secret Service told me _they just wanted to talk, I'd check the perimeter too_, Marella thought, striding over to the chain-link gate. _Twice._ "Inside?" the Firm agent said to empty air.

Air that was suddenly occupied, as the French Vietnamese agent stepped out of the shadows. _"Oui."_

Marella's white boots tapped over concrete as she scanned the inside of the converted building. She ignored patched walls, cracked windows, bits and pieces of elderly equipment cluttering up spare corners. Biology wasn't her field of expertise, but she knew enough about the inside of labs to know these people had spent their money where it counted: new seals on the autoclave, waterproofed sensors, mobile analyzing equipment hardened enough to survive being dropped, stepped on, or even shipped registered mail. 

Not that she'd expected anything less. Dr. Tatopoulos' team had proved more than once that appearances were deceiving.

Seawater lapped against an empty dock. "You usually don't let them wander off alone." 

"They are installing new monitors in the harbor," Monique said neutrally. "We should not be disturbed." A dark brow lifted, polite inquiry.

The Firm agent nodded, placing her briefcase on a clear spot on Dr. Craven's workbench. Dark fingers unsnapped brass latches, took out a slim manila folder. "Dr. Tatopoulos' blood work from the hospital. I'm authorized to tell you all other copies of this information have been moved to Archangel's personal database." 

"How thoughtful." 

Only the French, Marella thought, could pull off quite that brand of dry sarcasm. "I agree. Our agents in the area slipped. I can only offer my own apologies; at the time Ms. Kaplan's accomplices struck, I was… occupied." _Trying to make sure my boss didn't get himself killed._

"The Peruvian demoness," Monique nodded. "He has recovered?" 

"Word travels fast." 

The Frenchwoman acknowledged the unspoken question. "Since they repaired the Eiffel Tower, we have kept close watch on the Ghostbusters."

And the Cascade cops had known enough for astute agents to put two and two together. Marella plucked out a slim stack of cased CDs, laid them on the bench. "Our data on Rush. Though from my own look through the files, I have to agree with the agent in place's decision to keep our hands out of his treatment. We've never seen anyone so thoroughly drugged with that poison. By the time Dr. Tatopoulos was in a position to receive medical help… even if you'd had a dose of Aposiopan on the _H.E.A.T. Seeker_, I doubt it would have done any good."

"We suspected as much from the CAT scan," Monique said softly. Dark eyes were curious. "It is said Moses once rescued Archangel from such an encounter."

"One dose of the less sophisticated drug, when the KGB were trying to interrogate him," Marella clarified. _And I don't think he walked away unscathed._ Definitely hadn't, if Airwolf's response to him was any indication. "Not over thirty-six hours of continuous IV administration. Kaplan's people knew what they were doing." Ruby lips thinned. "Believe me, we will know who these people were." 

Leaving the CDs untouched, Monique paced away. "And what does your agency wish in return?" 

__

Rule number one of the Game: there are always strings attached. But then again, Archangel had never been known for following the rules. "We know who really stopped the Hivemind invasion, Ms. Dupres. I can't speak for the Committee… but Archangel wants H.E.A.T. intact." 

"Even though Philippe wards it?" 

__

And here we come to it. "I don't know all the details of what happened between your boss and mine - though from what I've heard, I'd advise against having them in the same room together." Marella let sincerity show in the wry twist of her mouth. "But your team is all that's standing between this planet and mass destruction. And you know and I know, there's no room for personal vendettas in this Game." 

"And a lizard is not nearly so useful to espionage as a… helicopter," Monique said absently, as if to herself. 

"What helicopter?" Marella said innocently.

Dark eyes met hazel brown. Two sets of lips curved in matching ironic smiles. 

"_A bientôt_, Ma'mselle Duval," Monique nodded. 

__

"Au plaisir," Marella inclined her head, snapping her case closed. 

"How do you Americans say… not if I see you first?" 

Marella chuckled. "Well. If you do ever happen to be near Los Angeles…." She let a start-spangled business card flutter to the table; _Santini Air _flashed in the sunlight drifting through one tape-patched window. "Take care of your people." 

"As ever." 

Outside, Marella drew in a lung-full of harbor air, tasting salt as she mentally counted her fingers and toes. _So far, so good_, she thought, skirting bits of olive-drab metal and three-toed potholes in asphalt. She didn't deceive herself into thinking she'd made a friend; France and the United States had too many opposing interests for their intelligence agencies to ever be comfortable with each other. 

But where H.E.A.T. was concerned… perhaps, just perhaps, they had enough in common to declare a truce. 

__

It's a start.

~*~*~*~*~  
Translations from French:

__

Oui - yes.

__

A bientôt - So long.

__

Au plaisir - See you again.


End file.
